


Gray

by Mochas N Mayhem (KoohiiCafe)



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 06:31:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/949788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoohiiCafe/pseuds/Mochas%20N%20Mayhem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There were trees in the desert now, bodies strewn in the sand, the salt smell of an ocean in the distance; Jack stood watching, silent as a statue, as the boy ran, screaming a single name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gray

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Gray  
>  **Author:** Koohii Cafe  
>  **Rating:** General Audiences  
>  **Crossover:** BtVS/Torchwood  
>  **Disclaimer:** Since I am a poor chickadee with no wealth to speak of, I think it's safe to say that neither BtVS nor Torchwood are mine. ^^;  
>  **Written for:** [TtH](http://www.tthfanfic.org/) [August Fic A Day Challenge](http://twistedshorts.livejournal.com/544890.html)  
>  **Summary:** _There were trees in the desert now, bodies strewn in the sand, the salt smell of an ocean in the distance; Jack stood watching, silent as a statue, as the boy ran, screaming a single name._

"Jack?" She squinted at him through the sand that swirled around them, but he was unmistakable as he stood on the dune, coat swirling with the sand, his face set as if carved in stone. Confused, Buffy tore her gaze away from him, turned back to where, several feet away, the First Slayer crouched upon a large stone. The sand didn't touch the ancient spirit, nor the wind; she was unmovable on her perch, eyes narrowed in her painted face as she shook her head, extended one hand out to point at him. Except- she wasn't pointing _at_ Jack, but _past_ him.

"She wants you to watch." A quiet voice, gentle and soft. A bittersweet smile quirked at Buffy's lips as she turned, knowing what she would find.

"Tara." Her voice was warm, welcoming, but the witch shook her head minutely. Her eyes trained on where Jack still stood, silent as a statue.

"You need to understand- where he comes from. What he's lost. Only then can you begin to trust."

"Trust Jack?" Her brows furrowed, confusion once more etching its way across her face. "I already trust him; I wouldn't have joined Torchwood if I didn't."

"You won't," the other woman answered. "Something's coming, and you won't trust him. But if you want to stop it, to save everything, you _have_ to. So you need to watch, and understand."

"Alright..." She didn't understand, but, as her eyes flickered back to the First Slayer, arm still extended, the blonde nodded. "Fine, I'll watch. For now."

There was a flurry of sand and Buffy gasped, threw a hand up to cover her eyes. When it passed, and she lowered her hand, things had changed. There were trees in the desert now, bodies strewn in the sand, the salt smell of an ocean in the distance; Tara was gone, and the First Slayer had taken a branch in an old, gnarled tree, watching. Jack- Jack hadn't moved.

"Gray?" It was the voice of a boy, lost and confused, and he emerged from the roots of the tree the First Slayer perched in. He was dressed to fit the surroundings, and his eyes darted around. Searching, seeking. " _Gray_? Where are you?"

"Gray?" she echoed softly. The boy spun, and when he didn't find what he was looking for, something like desperation crept into his eyes. He turned again, and then set off, running, screaming.

" _Gray_!"

He was fast, for a boy, and he sprinted across the sand as if he'd done it his entire life. The bodies he avoided nimbly, jumping over or, if they were smaller, he would stop for a split second, staring at, and then he'd set off again. The entire time screaming the same thing. His voice become more and more desperate, broken. Buffy didn't follow him- she didn't have to, because the desert moved along with him. A horrible feeling began to build in the pit of her stomach, and she turned to the First Slayer.

"Who is he? Who's Gray? Why am I watching this?" Because she was afraid she knew part of the answer already. The spirit didn't answer.

"That's me." Jack, his voice pained. Before them, the boy continued to run, and Jack watched him with a haunted look in his eyes.

"Oh god, Jack-"

"Gray was my little brother. This is the day I lost him forever."

"Jack, I'm sorry." She took a step toward him and reached for his hand where it hung at his side. He didn't pull away, but neither did he acknowledge her, his fingers remaining limp as she tried to curl them with hers. She managed to cup his larger hand in both of hers, holding tight when he wouldn't, and she cast her gaze back to the frantic boy. She tried to imagine, if she'd lost Dawn, what she would feel. What Jack must have felt then, and now, watching it happen again. She squeezed at his fingers, and as the boy began to run towards a distant building, he abruptly turned to face her.

"What are you doing here, Buffy? _How_ are you here? _Why_?" She wanted to cry, at the look in his eyes, but then he was squeezing her hands back, tight, suddenly painfully so, and she gasped. "This is a memory, one I buried. _I_ shouldn't even be here, so what does that say about _you_?"

"That she needed to know." Tara's voice again, and the scene had shifted as she stared at Jack. They were back where they'd started, the empty desert the First Slayer occupied. The other woman gave Jack a saddened look. "I'm sorry you had to relive this. Be at peace."

And then the pressure on her hands was gone, as suddenly as it had come. _Jack_ was gone. Inhaling deeply, Buffy pulled her hands back from the empty air. Opened her mouth to question-

"He won't remember this tomorrow. But you will. You need to remember Buffy. Understand. Trust."

And then she was waking abruptly, in Jack's bed in the Hub, his body still curled around her in sleep. For a long moment, she stared at him as he lie. Tara- the First Slayer- had told her to trust him, when she already did, implicitly. What on earth was coming?


End file.
